Chef Swaps: 9 Kitchen Moves in Boston

By Scott Kearnan | August 20, 2013By Scott Kearnan | August 20, 2013

Seasons change and so do chefs. Much as we get attached to our favorite toques, sometimes you need fresh blood to reinvigorate a kitchen. Here are some notable new moves from recent months - if you haven't been by these spots in a while, make it a point to visit to sample updated menus.

Chef-pals Lydia Shire and Jasper White opened up the big, beautiful Back Bay eatery, with Shire largely running the day-to-day show for several years. But the reigns were passed to Allen in August. The Napa Valley (Mark Allen Restaurant) and Newton Highlands (Le Soir Bistro) notable has some menu overhauls up his sleeve for September.

Downtown diners know that when he left in May, chef Jason Santana left some big shoes to fill. (Plus, we're protective of our comfort food pros.) But we think chef Wood will fill them nicely. After all, he hails from spots like A Tavola and Eastern Standard, where he had worked with nose-to-tail guru Jamie Bissonnette.

Talk about swaps. Until a few months ago, the space that now houses Finch was an entirely different hotel: the Bulfinch. Now it's the Boxer Hotel, and this sleek American spot is the new culinary addition. Graber-Smith gets the honors of being its inaugural chef; he was previously part of the team at the South End's Cinquecento.

Last week Forum finally reopened, four months after the Boston Marathon bombing at the finish line by its front door. The damaged restaurant saw its first floor redesigned, and now in the kitchen is new chef Dan Schroeder, a veteran of the New England country-club circuit.

Now that chef Michael Scelfo has left to prep his upcoming restaurant, Alden & Harlow (also in Harvard Square), Borgia has stepped in at this American spot. Borgia brings plenty of experience: he's commanded kitchens from Italy to Aspen, and opened the Seaport's smash Legal Harborside.

Cheers to Stacy Cogswell, the new queen of Regal Beagle. She replaced former chef Michael Navarrette this summer and brings with her an impressive resume: she's former sous-chef from Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Market, and she sharpened her skills as chef de cuisine to Susan Regis, the James Beard Award-winning chef of Upstairs on the Square.

Hansen has spent plenty of time toiling in the spotlight: he cooked under Bobby Flay at NYC's Bar Americain, which led to a few appearances cooking under the heat of the competitive Iron Chef stage. But in May, the Boston-area native traded that for the breezy, Cape-style vibe of The Cottage in Chestnut Hill.

If you're going to snag new staff, might as well take them from the top. In July, Macguire, the former sous chef at Barbara Lynch's culinary church that is Menton, moved over to Posto as executive chef. He wasn't alone: the spot's new director of operations also hails from Menton. Macguire's first order of business? Expansion. Posto has long been known for its pizzas, but the new menu boasts much more with wood-grilled meat and seafood dishes.

Despite inhabiting prime real estate (the former house of neighborhood gem Pho Republique), the South End spot BoMA opened with relatively low fanfare last year. But the place has seen a lot more buzz since Kelly stepped into the kitchen in May after stints at Tonic and Canary Square, both in Jamaica Plain.